In so many ways, immigrants come to our shores embracing our most cherished American ideals: to find a job and succeed; to reunite with family; to have a safe place to live; and to enjoy a sense of freedom and community. Like many other states, Colorado’s demographics have changed significantly over the past two decades: The foreign-born now account for one of out every 10 Coloradans.

Because learning the language is important for immigrants, many social service organizations like the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning teach newcomers English. Many also help them prepare for employment and ensure their children succeed in school because economic and educational opportunities are crucial components of immigrant success.

Studies consistently demonstrate that over the generations, immigrants succeed by achieving economic self-sufficiency and making significant educational gains — and they contribute significantly to the country.

Many come with skills that they are able to put to use in the American economy, such as in health care, engineering and business. The Partnership for a New American Economy’s recently released report, The New American Fortune 500, found that more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies in 2010 were founded by first- or second-generation immigrants. These companies employ more than 10 million people worldwide and have combined revenues of more than $4.2 trillion.

Nevertheless, over the years, the benefits and costs of immigration have been hotly debated. Negative opinions about why people come, the public benefits they access, and the impacts on society abound. With another election cycle now heating up, the opportunity for more angry, negative rhetoric toward immigrants is greater than ever.

The Immigration Policy Center, a nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based think tank, is working to shape a rational conversation on immigrant integration. They have compiled compelling statistics on the impact of immigrants on different states, including Colorado.

While not all are immigrants, in general, Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to Colorado’s economy. The 2009 purchasing power of Colorado’s Latinos totaled $21.4 billion, an increase of 437 percent since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $4.8 billion, an increase of 518 percent since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

Immigrants are integral to Colorado’s economy as workers: they comprised 11.6 percent of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 319,617 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Immigrants are critical to Colorado’s economy as students: Colorado’s 6,857 international students paid $187.4 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Naturalized citizens excel educationally: Thirty-six percent of Colorado’s foreign-born people who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 hold at least a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the number of immigrants in Colorado with a college degree increased by 49 percent between 2000 and 2008, according to Migration Policy Institute data.

However, understanding perceptions of immigration means going beyond facts and figures and recognizing it as an emotional issue. Many established residents may not understand why immigrants are here and may resent or fear the changes taking place in their communities. Some of this discomfort is worsened by language and cultural differences, making it more difficult for the native-born and immigrants to interact with each other. And without meaningful personal connections, it’s easy to become ambivalent or even hostile toward newcomers and fail to see how much established residents have in common with their new neighbors.

That’s why it is so important to address the concerns of the broader “receiving community,” where newcomers settle, and promote ways to foster meaningful connections among the diverse residents who call Colorado home. Intentional community building can minimize distinctions between “us” and “them,” and create a greater sense of “we.”

Increasingly, people are working together behind the scenes, community by community, to overcome their initial apprehensions and work toward realistic solutions.

Immigrants are more likely to fully integrate when they feel welcome, understand how to access community institutions, and have a sense of their own potential to make it in America. Then they are more likely to learn English, attain educational and workforce advancement, access services such as health care in appropriate ways, and work toward citizenship. Conversely, when people are isolated by the broader community, do not feel they have opportunity and are made to feel they are “different,” the risk is that generations can remain stuck in poverty and become disenfranchised.

Colorado is at the forefront of bridge-building work between native- and foreign-born Americans. A number of individuals, organizations and communities here are trying to build real understanding between newcomers and long-time residents, motivated not by a political agenda but by a common-sense understanding that families and communities are stronger when they are united.

And the native born are rising to the challenge. Whether participating in open community dialogues, teaching English, or mentoring a new family, Coloradans of all backgrounds are reaching out to their foreign-born neighbors in new ways.

One resource is Welcoming Colorado (www.welcomingcolorado.org), part of a broader national effort to engage receiving communities by Welcoming America (www.welcomingamerica.org). It is only by working together that we can ensure we live up to America’s ideals.

Some local programs that work:

• Intercambio Uniting Communities in Boulder has matched thousands of English as a Second Language students with volunteers from the community over the past decade. Not only have they learned through their evaluations that adult learners make major strides in English attainment, but volunteers report that the experience changes their perceptions, too.

Often people volunteer with Intercambio with little prior experience of other cultures, yet 50 percent report learning more about immigrant struggles; 61 percent establish new intercultural friendships; and 83 percent report better understandings of different cultures after volunteering. Immigrant students also grow, with 87 percent seeing their community as welcoming and 76 percent reporting an increased comfort level with different cultures.

“My American volunteer not only helped me learn English, but also made me really feel like I was a part of the Boulder community,” says Felipe Arredondo, who came to Boulder from Mexico nine years ago. “Now I feel more comfortable interacting with people and feel like this is my true home.”

Intercambio is now expanding its programs nationally.

• OneMorgan County in Fort Morgan was established by community members who recognized that many newcomers were moving in to work at jobs in the local meatpacking plant. By engaging local leaders such as the police chief, superintendent, and other influential decision-makers, and conducting a number of community dialogues, OneMorgan County continues to foster greater understanding.

One of their efforts is a series of orientation workshops, conducted by receiving community members and particularly popular with immigrants, that covers issues such as banking, law enforcement, public education, housing, and taxes.

“Not only do newcomers learn more about how to navigate community services and their responsibilities, but members of the receiving community benefit, as well. Misunderstandings are minimized and newcomers are increasingly seen for the economic benefits that they bring — as potential new clients for area businesses, contributors to the tax base and small business owners,” says OneMorgan County’s Brenda Zion.

• Retired Glenwood Springs resident Walter Gallacher created the Immigrant Stories Project to change the perceptions of immigrants in the community. Gallacher began recording stories told by local community members with recent or more distant immigrant backgrounds.

One recent story is from Susie Jimenez, who grew up in a migrant farmworker family, picking fruit in California and returning back home to Mexico in the off-season. Just before Susie’s father died, he told her, “I want you to be the first one in our family to finish school. I want you to create something for yourself.”

Susie graduated from culinary school, moved to Aspen and decided to start her own catering business. This year, Susie was a finalist on the Food Network’s “The Next Food Network Star.”

“I am so glad I had that time with him before he died,” says Susie. “His last words have helped me to keep going.”

Susan Downs-Karkos is a consultant with Welcoming American and is former director of integration strategies at the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, which helps foreign-trained health professionals re-establish careers in health care in Colorado.

By the numbers

20% of Americans are highly supportive of immigrants and immigration

20% of Americans are very negatively inclined

60% of Americans are in the middle and remain undecided about their views, unsure about the true impact of immigration